County Clerk admits using employee for personal project

No charges will be filed

Butte County Clerk-Recorder Candace Grubbs was accused of using a county employee to do personal projects for her.

It was alleged that a total of 9.75 hours of work, equaling $300 in tax payers' money, went towards personal use directed by the County Clerk. but with a exception of half an hour, the Butte County District Attorney's Office said that's not true.

Grubbs admitted to investigators she did have a county employee do personal work for her, and she is willing to pay for that time.

That time is apparently worth $17.34.

In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, District Attorney Mike Ramsey said there is no evidence to prove that Grubbs told an employee to work nine hours and fifteen minutes to do personal projects.

A report by Chief Administrative Officer Paul Hahn said Grubbs asked an employee to look into land that was being sold near Grubbs' home which may have been used for marijuana cultivation.

Ramsey said that wasn't true.

Grubbs did admit to asking her employee to check for the names of the five parcel owners surrounding her deceased mother's home for unknown reasons.

We learned Tuesday this was all part of a larger personnel investigation stemming from clashes between Grubbs and Assistant County-Clerk Laurie Cassady that may have escalated to included shouting.

"I recognize that was wrong at that time,” Grubbs said. “The investigation was conducted poorly. I don't think anybody can ever say coming into this office that they've heard hollering, anything like that. In fact, it's a very quiet office."

Grubbs is up for re-election in June, and the district attorney's office speculated that this could have been politically driven.

Grubbs did write a check for $17.34 that will be given back to the tax payers.

Grubbs also said her and Cassady are doing fine, and described their relationship as an old married couple.

The District Attorney’s Office said they will not file any criminal charges against Grubbs, and they also said the cost of the investigation was much higher than of the claimed hours.

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